Ethical Theory

 

 

Course Description: Ethics is a frequent concern for human beings and raises important questions about the manner in which we conduct our lives. What are the principles that form the basis of our moral beliefs? Do they provide us with clear standards to guide our actions? What should we do when moral principles conflict with one another? In this course, we will consider these and related questions while closely examining normative ethical theories such as Kant’s ethics, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics. We will discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of these theories and examine some of the meta-ethical assumptions on which these theories are based. In the process, the students will develop their ability to formulate and judge moral arguments.

 

 

Week                                                  Topic and Readings

 

1                      Introduction: What is a normative theory and by what criteria should it be evaluated?

 

Ethical Egoism

Rand, “The Virtue of Selfishness”

Stirner, selection from The Ego and its Own

 

2                      Divine Command Theory

Brunner, “The Divine Imperative”

 

                        Natural Law Theory

Aquinas, selection from Treatise on Law

 

Moral Relativism

Benedict, “A Defense of Ethical Relativism”

Rachels, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”

 

3-5                   Utilitarianism

Mill, Utilitarianism, Ch. 2

                                    Smart and Williams, Utilitarianism: For and Against

 

6-8                   Kantian Ethics

Kant, Groundwork Secs. 1-2

Metaphysics of Morals, “Doctrine of Virtue”

“On the Supposed Right to Lie for Altruistic Purposes”

 

9                      A Debate between Kant and Utilitarianism: Can we be motivated purely by reason?

Hume, selection from Treatise Bk. 2, Sec. 3

                                    Mill, Utilitarianism Ch. 4

                                    Kant, selection from Groundwork Sec. 2

 

10                    Social Contract Theory

Hobbes, selection from The Leviathan

                                    Rawls, selection from A Theory of Justice

 

11-13               Virtue Ethics

Plato, selection from The Republic Bk. 4

                                    Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Bks. 1-5, selections from Bks. 6 and 7

                                    Loudon, “Some Vices of Virtue Ethics”

 

14                    Existentialist Ethics

Nietzsche, The Genealogy of Morals Essay 1, selection from Beyond Good and Evil

                                    Sartre, “Existentialism is a Humanism

 

15-16               The Limits of Ethical Theory

 

Care Ethics: A Feminist Challenge

Gillilgan “Moral Orientation and Moral Development”

Noddings, “An Ethic of Caring”

Card “Caring and Evil”

 

                        Pluralism

Ross, selection from The Right and The Good

 

                        Particularism

McNaughton, selection from Moral Vision